A/N: Oh hai! It looks like I'm back with another story! It's called 'Messages' and I think you'll like this one better than 'A Reason Why'. I have to give a HUGE thanks to Surrealistic Perfection because she gave me the topic and I'm just putting her writing to words! So the overall plot is credited to her, everything else that I incorporate is mine. I also have to give a special thanks to Kazomon because reading her story 'The Spark' has truly influenced me to actually get the first chapter up! This story is going to switch off between the main characters; Render and Maverick. I would tell you why I'm doing this particular format, but that would ruin the entire plot! Okay, enough of my babbling and enjoy the prologue! Also please tell me what you think about this chapter. I know my vocabulary could be better and I'm pretty good with grammar, but unfortunately, I don't have a beta reader. So I think for the first few chapters until someone wants to beta me (hint hint) I'll be editing it myself.

Prologue

It Just HAD to Happen

That saying: "If you love something, set it free, and if it returns, it's yours"…? For as long as I could remember, I thought that quote was absurd. I believed that true love wasn't for me. Who would have known that my worst enemy would become my lover?

So I lay here, consumed in my lover's warmth whilst his cool fingers run lazily through my chin-length, chestnut locks. If I told you that getting into this relationship was a breeze, than I'd be lying. I went to hell and back just to have this relationship and I'd say it was worth the two years of torture I had to endure dealing with the hurt and discomfort from the one that I now lay with.

2 years earlier…

I practically drooled over the lean, muscular chest that Render had on display. Since the 8th grade, I've admired everything about him; his platinum blonde hair, his sapphire blue eyes, and his prominent features on his face. That boy was pretty damn close to Adonis, well in my eyes at least. He was perfect and I wished he would return the same feelings I have for him. It's not that Render has issues with queers, it's just that he's never had an interest for them. To this day, I'm uncertain about his feelings toward us. My uncertainty had prevented me from telling my best friend of eight years who the real me was.

"Maverick?" Render spoke suddenly, pulling me out of my thoughts. "You okay, dude?" He peered down at me with his electric blue eyes as he pulled on a red Nike t-shirt and sat himself on the floor next to me.

I smiled lightly at him as I adjusted the rectangular frames on my face. "Yeah, I'm cool."

"Well, good!" Render exclaimed with a bright smile that made my heart melt every time. "Because you're about to get your ass kicked in Call of Duty!" His carefree attitude made it easy to befriend him. That's why we've been friends for so long. He was the first kid to say 'hi' to me in the first grade, and since then, we've been best friends.

I rolled my eyes and reached for the Xbox controller before I set up the game. Every weekend was like this. We would spend the night at each other's houses after a day of watching Render's hockey practice and sometimes games. I've always found that sport intriguing—well because Render plays the dangerous sport, otherwise I'd find it boring. He makes the game look so easy. He skates along the ice with so much finesse, you would think he's been skating since he was a toddler. For someone so lanky, he's pretty strong. To the human eye, he looks vulnerable, but fuck with him and you'd wish you would have never fucked with him at all.

The sound of a gunshot blaring out of Render's surround sound television startled me from my trance as my screen flashed red and a pile of scores appeared, mine being at the bottom of the list. I sighed and cursed under my breath as I waited for my screen to return to the main menu.

"You okay, Mav?" Render's baritone voice pierced the room.

"Y-Yeah, of course, why wouldn't I be?" I asked quietly, keeping my eyes fixed on the fluorescent letters flickering on the screen.

"Because you're quieter than usual."

"I am?" I feigned cluelessness. I wasn't being my usual self because of him. I feared his reaction to the news of my crushing on him. I've outweighed all the possible reactions and so far, none of them were positive.

"Yeah, man, you didn't even attempt to hide when I gunned you down," he laughed, his sapphire eyes boring into mine.

"Oh, sorry," I apologized apathetically.

"Are you nervous about the first day of high school on Monday?"

"Yeah, that's it," I lied smoothly, giving him a false smile.

"Well don't worry," he smiled, planting his hand on my shoulder. His touch sent an electric current through my body and I felt like I was going to pass out. I couldn't tell him how he truly made me feel. It felt morally wrong to disperse my feelings. Just thinking about his reaction created knots in my stomach and made my body numb.

"I know," I smiled lightly. "You have me and I have you, right?"

"Of course!" he exclaimed, his smile so genuine I couldn't help but return a sincere one.

I wish those words had a deeper meaning. I wished Render would return the same feelings, but he was as straight as they came. He's goes through girlfriends like he blows through shoes, which is ridiculously quick. It seemed like he had a different girl attached to his side every five seconds. The only girlfriend that lasted more than a week was a girl named Cassie Montez. I hated that little slut to no avail. Because of her, I almost lost Render as a friend. One day after school, I caught the skank blowing some jock in the boy's bathroom and I rushed to tell Render. Unfortunately, Render believed Cassie over me. She gave Render this sob story about me being jealous that they were dating while I stood by as a third wheel. She told him I made the whole thing up as a cry for attention. Her outrageous lie resulted in me and Render not speaking for almost a month. Luckily, everything fell back into place when Render caught Cassie fucking the lead scorer on the school's soccer team. Render immediately apologized and hoped that we were still friends. Of course I forgave him, how could I not? He was this fantastic guy that I was crushing on. Hell, I'd forgive him if he suddenly became a serial killer. I was in too deep to just end our friendship in the blink of an eye.

"Everything will be okay," Render assured as he stood up to turn off the game. "How about a movie instead? I'll make popcorn."

I nodded with a coy smile as I pushed the controllers out of the way and adjusted myself on the floor to a more comfortable position. Render returned the smile and disappeared from the room. I sighed heavily and rested my head against the edge of the bed. High school started Monday and I couldn't be more ecstatic. Was I apprehensive about the day? Hell yes, what freshman wouldn't be? I'm not as nervous as I should be because I have Render. I wonder how I'll manage in the real world after graduation. Render and I have been in the same class for the last eight years, and if that isn't fate, then I don't know what is.

I felt something unbearably cold fall in my lap, startling me out of reverie. I gasped and tossed the offending object to the floor. "What the hell!"

"I gave you a warning," Render laughed, looking down at me with an amused expression.

I glared playfully at him as I grabbed the icy can and tapped the lid a few times before popping it open. Taking a sip and letting the burning fizz slide down my throat, I glanced over at Render who was now sorting through his DVD collection.

"What movie do you want to watch?"

"Something scary?" Render suggested.

I shrugged, "Sure." Horror wasn't my favorite genre, but I haven't had a good scare in awhile, so watching something that would give me nightmares for the next few nights seemed to suffice.

"I hear that movie's scarier than the original Exorcist," I mumbled, eyeing Render's figure as he placed the disc in his Xbox and plopping down on the bed.

I debated whether or not I wanted to join him on the bed. My gut feeling was begging for the closeness, but the apprehensive part was telling me to keep my body where it was. Normally, I would sit on the bed with Render like best buds, but lately these feelings that I possess for that beautiful boy has my wires all hay wired.

"Are you comfortable on the floor?" Render joked with a snicker.

This boy was messing with my emotions. If only he understood what he did to me, he'd realize that laying in the bed with him would cause a huge problem. I know we're only friends but I feel like he's my soul mate. Render is so carefree, so spontaneous; you would believe nothing is ever wrong with the kid. Truthfully, Render deals with more shit from his parents than anyone I've ever known. He's been in a sport for as long as my brain can register. First it was soccer, and then it was baseball, and now its hockey. He's probably the most fitted guy I know.

Render's father has this fantasy that Render will be the next Gordie Howe and because of that pathetic dream, he works Render like a mule. When the days are warm, Render's father forces him to hold a five-gallon jug of water above his head whilst trying to keep himself afloat in their pool. I felt terrible when Render could barely carry his books the next day. I don't remember a single weekend when he wasn't running two miles, sometimes four a day and then forced to bench press twice his weight afterward. He'd probably be doing some strenuous workout this weekend if his parents weren't out of town.

"The floor is fine," I smiled, concealing my true emotions.

"Well then, fine," he said with a smirk as he scooted toward the edge of the bed and then seated himself on the floor next to me. "I'll just sit on the floor with you."

Render was so close to me, our shoulders were touching, the heat making my cheeks flush. Curse this boy and his sexy looks. Everything about him was a wet dream, it wasn't even fair. I would blame him for dangling his sexiness in front of me, but it's not his fault he was blessed with it. It was difficult trying to focus on the movie. My eyes kept drifting to the near-Adonis perfection next to me. His sapphire eyes were even bluer from the luminescent light that glowed from the screen. The glow created such a beautiful image; I was lost in his faultlessness.

"What?" Render asked with his signature, libidinous smirk. Shit, I was caught red-handed staring at him, which caused me to splutter for a response.

"U-Um… nothing?"

"Okay, that's it," Render gave an exasperated sigh, grabbing the remote and putting the movie on pause. "What is wrong, Maverick? All night you've been so out of it, it's starting to worry me. I mean, just a moment ago, you were staring into space as if there was something extraordinary out there!"

I gnawed on my bottom lip as my eyes searched for any direction but his. He was making me nervous and I swear the room had suddenly become a sauna.

"I'm okay," was all I could muster. I swallowed the dry lump in my throat and scrubbed my hands over my face as I sighed deeply. "Really, Render, I'm okay. I promise."

I could tell that Render wasn't satisfied with my response, but shrugged it off anyway and took the movie off of pause. I sighed in relief as I readjusted myself against the foot of the bed and returned my gaze to the movie.

The rest of the night returned to normal. The movie was truly terrifying, something that definitely would give me nightmares tonight. I mostly jumped every few scenes, even squeaked a couple of times earning amused chuckles from Render. I couldn't understand how this movie didn't get under Render's skin with the frightening images and eerie plotline. I began to wonder if any horror movie scared Render. He sat beside me with a blank expression on his face, his body perilously close to mine, his arms folded across his chest making the muscles in his biceps bulge through his golden skin.

Just when I thought this movie would fail to startle Render, I felt a pair of arms encircle my small frame and squeeze lightly followed by a small squeak. I jumped slightly at the sudden contact and my eyes flickered to his face. It was pale and his eyes were wide as planets. His expression was priceless. I swear I felt the kid shake for a moment and I tried to stifle laugh, but failed in the end. My laughter echoed the room as I doubled over and tried to catch my breath.

Render's startled gaze turned into a scowl. "It's not funny!"

"Y-Yes… it is!" I said between laughs. "You're never… scared of… anything." I continued with my hysterical episode until I felt something collide with the back of my head, nearly knocking the breath I barely had out of my lungs.

"Shut up," Render demanded as he flung the pillow back on the bed.

"Did you have to hit me?" I glared, rubbing the back of my head. The pillow may be soft, but the impact was so strong, I'm seeing double.

He shrugged and then smirked before returning to his spot next to me. The heat from his arm sent shivers up my spine and I bit my lip to distract me from the Godly body next to mine. I don't know what happened and I don't know how, but my lips had suddenly found his. I know I should have pulled away, but the electric feeling that this contact emitted, prevented me from listening to my subconscious. Render didn't react; he sat there petrified while my lips worked against his. Suddenly, I felt two strong hands seize my upper arms and yank me away harshly. I nearly toppled to the ground from his strength and peered up at him in utter horror. My eyes met infuriated ones and I instantly knew that I had made a terrible mistake.

A/N 2: So what did you think? I know this was short, but this is only the prologue and so when I start writing the chapters, they will be longer, I promise. For those of you who haven't seen Insidious then consider yourselves lucky! That movie is BEYOND scary! Everything about that movie gives me chills; the images, the characters, the plot; everything! I'm getting paranoid just thinking about this movie, so I'm going to move on to a different topic. Those of you who have read my previous story; A Reason Why, already know my routine. For those of you who are new, welcome and thank you for stumbling across this story! I usually update once a week, so I keep my reviewers because I know what it's like to subscribe to a story and then wait months even a year until they post again. However, I don't know if I'll continue to update weekly because I'm a senior now and it's beyond stressful with SATs and applying to college, not to mention my English class which is taught as if we're in a college. Well enough of my rambling, thanks to Surrealistic Perfection and Kazomon for putting up with me! Now go Review! :)

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.